Ruder Finn replaces PT & Co. on Liz Claiborne domestic-abuse effort

NEW YORK: Liz Claiborne has named Ruder Finn to replace longtime partner PT & Co. as its firm for its "Love is Not Abuse" domestic violence campaign.

Jane Randel, Liz Claiborne corporate communications VP, stressed that PT & Co. had done an "amazing job" with the effort. But she noted that the decision to change firms "was just a natural progression of the account."

PT & Co. had worked with the effort since its 1991 initiation.

"It was just time to move on," Randel said. "The movement has gotten more sophisticated."

RF's global issues communications group will oversee the "Love is Not Abuse" campaign.

The agency's current focus is creating a program to educate high-school students about how to recognize and prevent relationship violence.

RF is also seeking new ways to engage the media. It is currently compiling research on how specific groups deal with domestic violence and on how the business community is addressing it.

The research will "provide more substance and context on what Liz Claiborne is doing," said Anne Glauber, SVP and director, global issues practice.

"Love is Not Abuse" encourages men and women to confront domestic violence issues with PSAs, educational downloads, and events like Stop the Violence Week and Founding Fathers, a 2004 event where top male executives spoke out in the effort to end family violence.